| Truly a Wall of Fame
November 2004 IBEW Journal
There are now more than 1,000 baseballs on a memorial
wall alongside a community baseball field in Whitman, Massachusetts,
with each ball bearing the name of one of the U.S. troops
killed in Iraq. Its the work of Chris Johnson, a member of
Local
103 in Boston.
 "Its
a great way to show how men of the trades not serving in the
war are so thankful for all that is being done for our freedom,"
says Brother Johnsons wife Janene Johnson. "I am so
very proud of his work and would like everyone to get a chance
to see this great tribute."
Each baseball carries the
name, rank and date of death of one of those killed in Iraq.
How to Improve a Tent
 Brother
Harmon in Kuwait in October 2003
Mark Harmon of Local
125, Portland, Oregon, lived his entire tour of duty in
Kuwait in a tent, but "a tent with air conditioning,"
he says. Brother Harmon was a reservist called up in June
2003 for duty with Naval Coastal Warfare Group One and assigned
to the seaward defense of Al Shuaiba Harbor, through which
all military and private goods are shipped to Iraq. His assignment
included vehicle maintenance, convoy duties, convoy securityand
air conditioner service.
Hes home now, reunited with his wife Shawna and three children
and contemplating retirement from the Navy Reserve after 19
years of service.
Teaching Afghans To Wire
If youre an electrician in Afghanistan, youre in
demand. For Shaun Smith of Local
231, Sioux City, Iowa, that also means "he has had
to teach Afghan people how to wire," says his wife Kari
Smith. "Local
231 has a flag on display that has flown high over Afghanistan.
We are proud of him! Shaun has also received several medals,
awards and pins."
She says Shaun is a Seabee (Construction Brigade) in Battalion
3, stationed at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. IBEW
Local
702, West Frankfort, Illinois, is another site proudly
displaying a flag that flew over Bagram.
Holly, Ship My Tools to Iraq
 Sgt.
Chip Cormier
"Im so proud of what Im doing over here, Ive
put an IBEW sticker on my weapon magazine," says Army
National Guard Sgt. Chip Cormier of Local
193, Springfield, Illinois. This time, on his second tour
of duty in Iraq, he had his wife, Holly, ship his tools to
him, Chip says, "not a cheap feat on her behalf, but
Im glad she did as I am doing a tremendous amount of wiring."
"My main job is basically being a general foreman and
trying to teach the Iraqi contractors I work with about grounding,
proper sizing of conductors to loads and good wiring practices,"
he reports. And its moving right along, with Holly buying
some Klein tools for my two main helpers, "They are not
used to high quality tools and they were ecstatic that we
had gone to the trouble."
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